MICROPROSE £24.95 JOYSTICK

It is a funny old game, Brian. Months without a footie sim and then two arrive at once (Microprose Soccer & Kick Off). None of that management non-sense here either: just charging around a pitch tackling, dribbling, shooting, saving and scoring.

Two varieties of the game are included: outdoor (British style, the more familiar kind) and indoor six-a-side (US style, a fast game on a smaller pitch). The pitch is viewed from above and scrolls in all directions, with goals situated at top and bottom of the play area.

You can choose to take part in several types of tournament: these range from the full-blown World Cup Finals, via a league or a two-player friendly fixture to an individual challenge tournament in which the player attempts to beat progressively harder teams. These competitions remain the same for both types of soccer, with two or more players able to take part in all but the challenge.

During the game you control a single player, and switching between team members can be manual or automatic. Possession is gained by running into a loose ball or tackling the player with the ball. The ball sticks to the ends of a player's boots until he is tackled or kicks it, so dribbling is easy.

Kicks are split into three types: volleys, chips and banana shots. The banana shots can be quite spectacular, but they bend far more than a real ball would. The computer opponents range from kickabouts-in-the-park to the I-cost-£3million-and-you're-five-nil-down superteams.

One of the annoying features of Microprose Soccer is that you can run straight through the man in possession without actually tackling him. To tackle, the fire button has to be pressed. It is not a serious pain, but this and several other factors make it lose out to Kick Off in the 'best footie game' stakes. The larger graphics merely reduce the on-screen playing area and do not improve the gameplay at all. The action is much slower as well, losing the adrenalin rush of non-stop action.

This is not a bad game, but it just is not as good as Kick Off. It has more features though: the indoor league is of particular interest, and the different types of competition add interest too.

GRAPHICS AND SOUND

Big cartoony graphics, but they move sluggishly and are not very well animated. The scrolling is not as good as it should be either. In this instance 'large and stripy' loses out to 'small and detailed'. There is a lot more in the way of music, jingles and effects than in Kick Off, all of which are good with the exception of a dire tackling effect.

GRAPHICS6

SOUND6

INTELLECT3

ADDICTION6

OVERALL 67%

Reviewed by Bob Wade for Amiga Format, pp.34-35, Issue 1, August 1989

MicroposeAMIGA

Where its 8 bit counterpart is super league Microprose Soccer simply fails to make the first division - simply because it is not as good.

First impressions are promising with a couple of nice blue digitised stills on the options screen, but once the game is loaded you rapidly realise that the conversion is less than inspired. The major problem is that it is too slow and lacks the playability of Kick Off. You are not going to get excited about this, just steamed up by its limitations.

Graphically, there is little difference which is alright, but sound is disappointing. Second best may sound like a good performance, but not in a two horse race.

66%

Microprose, Amiga £24.99

Six months after the original C64 Sizzler comes the 16-bit version of one of the most popular footy games around.

A host of options are included, the most important being the choice to play either normal soccer or the indoor, six-a-side American version. Other options include match length, banana power and an instant replay facility. Players can also take part in World Cup/All Star tournaments, play solo against the computer, or have a two-player friendly.

The match takes place on a scrolling pitch, viewed from overhead. You can control only one player at a time for which selection can be manual or automatic. Dribbling is automatic, and by using various directions with fire pressed, powerful volleys, swerved shots and even overhead kicks can be achieved.

I love a good football game and although not one of the best, Microprose Soccer is certainly fun to play. The action moves along at a frantic pace (especially in the indoor game) and, as usual, two-player games are by far the most enjoyable. However, despite its many options this is a very simple game that by no means uses the Amiga's capabilities, and the 25 quid price tag is too steep.

Immediately playable and long lasting in appeal it may be but it doesn't look at all like an Amiga game with no more than adequate use made of the Amiga's graphics and sound (arty farty 'trumpet' sounds strike again). There's smooth scrolling with a fast pace to match but other than the digitised pictures there's nothing to suggest it's running on one of the most powerful micros around. Give me Kick Off any day.